The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-04-13

the trouble O gcttin' her up. I won't
charge you nuthin' fur my share O. the
work, he continued, betraying an eager
desire to get out of further interest in the
business. "You can use the coffin for
kindlin'. It's only stained pine
And Bony turned up the collar OF his
coat and made toward the door, as II thus
trihing mistake in the matter OF collins
had destroyed every bit of his vengetui
spirit.
"stop, Bony," said, "you must help
me lift the body out if VIC arc going to
destroy the evidences of our nights
work, and | lifted the lid | had been
busy unfastcning when Bony made his
| bolt for the door.
Il can't do it, Doctor" Bony said, IN
so timolous voice as to surprise me. u
can't look on that gals face again, no.
how. | saw it this morning, an | felt
| queer all day, till the boss riled me about
| that Myers coffin. I can't touch her
again, nohow; I can't, I tell you. no.
how" And Bony's pitcous wall OF
"can't-nohow, died away in the dis
tance as he closed the door behind him
| ullI w uS gum
There was sense of sorrowful i'm
pctuositv left as the echo of his rcceding
voice. as if drawing himself unwillingly
away from some attractive spell that
mi"ht prove fatal if he stayed. had
lifted the lid and stood looking at the
dead face until that faint sense Of Bony's
pitcous "nohow!' was succeeded by a
silence so deep as seemed to break my
revcrie.
turned away, but an irresistible
impulse drew me to the face again. There
was not vestigc of disease or emaciatlon,
there was not the sunkcn eye, nor the
grim pallor of death, but a marvclously
beautiful countcnancc. that wore only a
pleading expression, as if to say: "Why
have YOU disturbed my sleep"
1t might be only BonyS timorous voice
still ringing in my ears that made the
dead face look so beseeching, but could
not break its spell. Turn from it with
what determination I would, some
ineffablc fascination drew me back again,
even from my window where had gone
to catch the first faint glimmerings ol
the dawn; as if their coming would
release me from my strange situation.
Iuvoluntarily l had moved the coffin
lid and looked upon the dclicately chiseled
hands and the small and shapely feet. Her
clothing was of the commonest sort, and
had been worn surely for disguise and
not of necessity. Bony's "queer" feeling
understand now, and every time my eyes,
perforcc, sought her face. 1t was the
power of beauty to touch human
sympathies. =.
AS l looked again there was shade OF
color in the face The discovery startled
me; the gaze again fascinated me. My
hand instinctively sought that of the
dead. 1t was not dead. There was
mobility and warmth in it. Or was it
fancy with me, growing out of the warm
atmosphere of my consultation room?
Was 1t my own fevered imagination?
But the color was still rising in the
cheeks. I was down upon my knees
chafng the hands. In half dazed con-
sciousness rudely tore away the cover
ing from the throat, removed the tightly
laced shoes and rubbed the soft, delicate
feet. When looked again there was a
perceptible tremor of the eyelids, and the
large, lustrous eyes lost something of
their fixed stare, they turned little; my
subject was alive!
With the knowledge that she lived
came a more intelligent control of my
own senses. set to work and prepared
4 stimulating draught, and then, raising
her in her coffin, l applied it to her lips.
There was a CLEAN of returning con-
sciousness, glance at her surroundings,
at the ccffin in which she sat, and then
she swooned again.
l laid her back upon the pillow of
wood shayings that was part OF the fur
nishing of pauper coffin and deliberated
as to what should do next. The morn
ing light was now streaming in through
the window and soon all the world might
know what the night had hidden. The
newsboy on his early round at that mo-
ment dropped the morning paper from
the not distant city on the doorstep, and
instinctively went to get that wonder
full cpitome of the last days doings and
learn if it hod got any clue to the history
of the strange woman who had died at
the hotel.
Yes, there it was. The case that the
pcrfunctory Coroner and his 'questors
had passed over SO indiffcrently, the news.
paper corps had traced in all the warp and
woof of this complicated human existence.
1t was case of strong, passionate love
without reciprocation; despairing, dcs-
perate love that thinks it can only 60 out
through death.
Filled now with both interest and pity;
pity for the fond and grief-stricken par
ents, and interest in the unhappy daugh-
ter, returned to the work of restoring
the unconscious girl, and soon accom-
p!ished it.
How judiciously I managed to make
known to child and parents the particu
lars which had led up to the peculiar
situation in which we all found ourselves.
In what kindly light they viewed my
midnight prank with Bony; how they
forgave their darling child and guarded
my reputation may all be imagined when
say that am now one of the family.
and that although have never worked
up much of a practice in W or any,
where else, the fact has never given me
another moments depression of spirits
Detroit Free Press.
| In